Two More Candidates Join Hartford Mayor's Race

Theodore T. Cannon, 60, a Republican, filed papers earlier in May. He appeared with five other candidates at a forum in the city's West End on May 19.

Giselle S. Jacobs, 50, did not list a party affiliation in papers filed with the town and city clerk's office, but she said during a telephone interview that she is running as a Democrat.

Jacobs, who lives on Capen Street, said she was running, in part, because "no one from the North End of Hartford would step up." She said she is skeptical of the mayoral candidates who "happen to pop up out of nowhere," with little city history.

Jacobs said she's also dismayed by the level of violent crime in Hartford.

"I'm not happy with what I have seen and what I continue to see in my community," she said. "Our children are dying. They're getting killed in the street."

Jacobs runs Sister Soldier Environmental Services LLC, a commercial and residential cleaning business based in Hartford. She described herself as a lifelong city resident and community activist.

Cannon, who works for The Kerin Agency in Newington and lives on Gerard Avenue, said his grasp of financial issues makes him an ideal candidate for mayor. Finances are "at the center of Hartford's challenges," he said.

Cannon is a member of the city's Republican Town Committee and West End Civic Association. He previously served on the board of the civic association.

He has lived in Hartford for 16 years.

Cannon said he is running because the single-party rule isn't working for Hartford. The city is overwhelmingly Democratic.

"The one-party form of government that we have had for quite a long time now could work better," he said. "Bipartisanship could go a long way toward helping the city address its challenges. A cooperative and collaborative sharing of ideas is necessary to come to serious and effective solutions to Hartford's problems."

Cannon and Jacobs join a pool of candidates that includes incumbent Mayor Pedro Segarra, Luke Bronin, a former aide to the governor, John Gale, a city-based lawyer, Robert Killian, a former probate judge, and Joel Cruz, a city councilman.

Bronin, Gale, Killian and Segarra are Democrats. Cruz is a member of the Working Families Party.